Improvement in automatic let-off mechanisms for looms



W. F; PLANAGIN & D. A; SAG ER. Automatic Let-Off Mechanism for'Looms. No. 222,886. Patented necfzs, I879.

11 0!" o a 7% o J z a o, e i i WITNESSES flaw ".PEIEIA PMQYO-HTNOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON, D. C.

ATTOREEYS.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFron;

WILLIAM F. FLANAGIN AND DANIEL A. SAGER, OF PlN E WOOD, TENN.

IMPROVEMENT IN AUTOMATIC LET-OFF MECHANISMS FOR Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 222.886, dated December 23, 1879; application filed December 19, 1878.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WM. F. FLANAGIN and DANIEL A. SAGER, ofPine Wood, in thecounty of Hickman and State of Tennessee, have invented a new and Improved Automatic Let- Off Mechanism for Looms; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, forming partof this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of the device applied to a loom-frame. Fig. 2 is a section through line 00 a: of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrow. Fig. 3 is a plan view.

The object of our invention is to provide an improved automatic letoff mechanism for looms-that is to say, an improved mechanism forletting off the yarn from the yarn-beam at a uniform speed from the first to the last end of the warp, the speed of the yarn-beam'bein g increased in proportion to the decrease of the yarn on the beam.

The improvement relates to that construc tion of let-off in which a loose connection for adjustable leverage is interposed between the driving mechanism and the yarn-beam, and said connection is adjusted to or from a cen ter of oscillation for a greater or less leverage and av shorter or longer stroke by the integral movement of a roller resting against the surface of the yarn on the yarn-beam, which motion, as caused by the varying diameter of the beam, is communicated to the said adjustable connection.

Our invention consists in the peculiar construction and arrangement of parts operating on this general principle, as hereinafter fully described, and pointed out in the claim.

In the drawings, A represents a part of the loom-frame. B is the crank-shaft for rocking the lay. (l is the yarn-beam, and D the whiproll, over which the yarn passes from the yarnbeam, thesame constituting that portion of a loom to which our device is applied.

E is a cast-iron roller, journaled in a yoke, a, which is attached to an arm, I). This arm I) bends at right angles in a horizontal position to form the section b, and then bends at right angles downwardly into a pendent position to form the section b which three sections are ley c, and ratchet-wheel -f. This worm meshes with a worm-wheel, 9, attached to a shaft, h,

at right angles, which shaft has at its opposite end a pinion, z, meshing with the wheel j on the yarn-beam, so that the motion of the shaft upon which the worm is mounted serves to rotate the yarn-beam and unwind the yarn. In

imparting this motion and regulating the same automatically to suit the requirements of the work,wemountlooselyouthe shaftHan oscillatin g lever, I,havin g at one end a pawl, k, which engages with the ratchet, while the opposite end, It, is slotted longitudinally. To the slot ted end of this lever a vertical link-rod, J, is attached bya loosely-sliding pin, 29, while the upper end of the rod is jointed to the whip-roll arm E, which is vibrated by the lifting action of cam K on the main drive-shaft. This vibration of the whip-roll arm, it will be seen, acting through rod J, moves lever I, and as the pawl is moved back over the ratchet thelatter is held stationary by the strap-brake L, passing around the friction-pulley c. Then, upon the advance movement of the pawl, it turns the ratchet-wheel and imparts a step-by-step' motion through the worm-gear to the yarn-beam to unwind the yarn. To increase the speed of the yarn-beam as the yarn is paid 05, we connect thevertical link-rod J with the vertical roller-ar1n 6 (see Fig. 2) by a loosely-jointed horizontal link-rod, M, whichlpasses tln ough a guide-yoke, N, fixed to the loom-frame, and which link, in'its connection with the link-rod J, is made to loosely encompass the same.

Now, as the yarn is paid off the yarn-beam the diameter of the latter gradually decreases, and the roller E, resting upon the same, descends from gravity, as shown in dotted lines in Fig.2. As it descends the bent arm b b b tilts vertically on its fulcrum c, andthe lowersection b acting as an elbow-lever,projects outwardly 2 wages the horizontal link M, and as the latter encompasses the vertical link-rod J, the free and lower end of the same is adjusted in the slotted end 70 of the lower I closer to the fulcrum of said lever, as also shown in dotted lines. The resultjs, that the definite range of movement of the rod J gives, by the change in the leverage of I, an increased throw to the pawl, and in turning the ratchet and gears a greater distance causes the speed of the yarn-beam to be increased automatically in direct ratio to the decrease in its diameter.

Having thus described our invention, What We claim as new is The combination, with the yarn-beam, of

roller E, arm b 1) b pivoted to oscillate in a vertical plane, the horizontal link M, the vertical rod J, and means to reciprocate the same, the lever I, carrying pawl k, and having an adjustable connection with rod J, together with the ratchet, and mechanism for connecting the latter with the yarn-beam, whereby motion is imparted to the yarn-beam, substantially as described, and for the purpose set forth.

WILLIAM FRANCIS FL ANAGIN. DANIEL ANDREW SAGER.

Witnesses:

'W. J. MGOAUL, JOHN NASH. 

